Tammy Beaumont named Kent captain

England opener Tammy Beaumont has been appointed captain of Kent’s double-winning women’s team.

The 26-year-old Kent Cricket Academy graduate has scored more than 3,000 runs in 110 matches for Kent since her debut in 2007 and is delighted to succeed Charlotte Edwards CBE.

She started her club career at Sandwich Town under the guidance of her father Kevin before earning a regular spot at the top of the Kent batting order and securing a new two-year England central contract.

Beaumont will work with new player-coach Lydia Greenway and succeeds Charlotte Edwards CBE who moved to Division Two side Hampshire after leading Kent to a seventh County Championship and a third T20 title in 2016.

The Dover-born batsman said: “It will be a real honour to captain Kent this season. We have a talented and committed group of players at Kent who have achieved some great things but are still keen to learn and improve.

“We will be the team everyone wants to beat this summer so we will have to raise our game as the competitions get tougher every season.

“I look forward to working with Lydia Greenway and our excellent age-group coaches to bring through more Kent talent who can hopefully follow in our footsteps and gain international honours.”

The 22-year-old England Senior Academy player said: “I’m delighted to become vice-captain of Kent. I’ve learned a lot since I made my debut in 2010 and hope to keep learning on the job. The team is full of leaders and experienced players and I hope to thrive on the extra responsibility.

“We had a fantastic 2016 season but we know the competition gets stronger every year so we will be looking to improve again and defend the double.”